3 Eternal Boys & a Cybergirl
by Draka Dracula
Summary: Disney's Peter Pan meets Fox's Peter Pan in an adventure to save a fairy from an evil computer program. But CAN the two eternal boys work together. Add yet ANOTHER eternal boy and a cybergirl to the mix, and the two Peters are in for the adventure of th
1. The Call

3 Eternal Boys & a CyberGirl

By: Jo Ann/Petra Pan

Chapter 1: The Call

Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan, in _any_ version, except for Kuro. I also own Ebony, Cybera, and all other characters not of the Peter Pan universe. If she shows up, I _do_ own the concept of Petra Pan, Peter's twin sister, and her pixie/fairy, Dusty.

Note: Disney Peter Pan meets Fox's Peter Pan. The idea belongs to LightHouseKatie, from the Pirate's Cove Ezboard. This is _my_ story of how the two Peters meet.

The men walked through the corridors, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the metal walls. The lighting was dim, just barely illuminating the passageway. One man was shorter than the other by about five inches, but both wore the same kind of uniform: Blue jacket with gold piping and gold buttons; blue pants with gold piping; short, white gloves; black boots; and blue caps with black brims. At a belt at their waists was sleek, black guns. The taller man also wore piping on his shoulders that declared him the leader, or, at least, superior to the man beside him.

"Are you sure, Captain?" the smaller man said. "To call on these...boys...to back up ..._her_?"

"We have no other choice, Lieutenant," the taller man answered. "There is no one else but these three boys that could get her through the obstacles that must be overcome to reach their goal."

"And how do we know that they'll help?"

"For two of them, the life that's at stake will be enough incentive. For the third, I don't know. But it will take all _four_ of them to reach the castle, as well as fight off the forces there. Then, our girl will be in position to fight the battle within."

The two --soldiers?-- entered a vast room, filled with computer terminals, maps and charts, tables, etc. A fully-stocked war room. Technicians and other officers scurried about their tasks. At one end of the room was a huge machine, and an area set aside that was covered with five circles. A couple of female technicians stood in front of the machine, checking over the controls. It was to these two that the two officers approached.

"Begin other-dimentional transport," the Captain commanded. At once, the women complied, working the controls quickly and efficiantly. The Dimentional Transporter hummed into life, lighting up the circles on the machine's floor.

*~*~*

"Come down, boy!" the pirate in the red coat shook his left arm at the boy floating in midair. Instead of a hand, the man had a silvery hook. "It's time for you to meet your maker!"

"Awww...you don't like me, Codfish?" the green-clad boy asked. A breeze off the ocean blew his sunset-red hair away from his chocolate-brown eyes. The red feather in his green cap danced in the wind. Beside him fluttered his pixie friend, Tinker Bell.

"We've been fighting for how long, and you've just figured that out?" Captain Hook sneered. "You're very slow, Pan." Peter Pan just laughed and drew his dagger. This was going to be fun!

Before he could dive down for the attack, a beam of light surrounded him and the pixie. At the same time, everyone in Neverland heard a voice speak to them.

"Peter Pan and Tinker Bell are needed for awhile. They will be returned when their task is done."

The light faded away, and with it Peter Pan and Tinker Bell.

*~*~*

"Catch me if you can, Captain Codfish!" a boy in brown called, flying around the old pirate captain, just out of reach. Trying to keep up was Tinkerbell, his fairy companion.

"Oh, I'll catch you, Pan!" Captain Hook growled. His right arm was raised, shaking a hook at the boy. His curled, white hair was in a strong contrast to the dark clothes that he wore.

"Betcha ya can't!" Peter Pan laughed. He flew around Hook some more, Tinkerbell right beside him the whole time.

From out of nowhere came a bright light, beaming down upon Peter and Tink. At the same time, a voice from out of the air announced:

"We must borrow Peter Pan and Tinkerbell for awhile. They shall be returned as soon as their work is done."

Within the beam of light, Peter and Tink disappeared. A moment later, the light faded away.

*~*~*

In a lush, dark jungle, a boy ran through the folliage, a huge, black cat at his side. The boy was slender, dressed in only a loin-cloth of a black pelt. At his side was a belt with a knife, and hanging around his neck on a leather thong was a decorated flute. The boy's hair was as black as the panther's coat, and his eyes were a bright green. Covering part of his face and down the length of his right arm were tribal tattoos. He was a wild thing of the jungle, with the power to command the animals.

The panther stopped and sniffed the air, as if looking for something strange, something not right. The boy stopped and looked back, wondering what had attracted the attention of his companion.

"You smell something, Ebony?" he asked. The boy sniffed the air as he came and stood by the panther. "Yes, I smell it, too. What _is_ it?"

As if in answer, a beam of light bathed boy and panther, and a voice announced to anyone on the planet who might be listening:

"Kuro and Ebony are needed. They will be returned safely after they are finished with their tasks."

The light faded, and the boy and his panther vanished with it.

*~*~*

Within the war room, on the glowing circles, Three boys, two fairies, and a panther appeared. They each stepped from the Dimentional Transporter and looked around.

"Welcome, to planet Earth of Dimention Seven," a tall man said. "I am Captain Frank Hawkins. My assosiate, here, is Lieutenant Jim Morgan."

"Why are we here?" asked the boy in green. "And who are they?" he indicated the other two boys, the fairy, and the cat.

"First, I must explain something. The three of you, and your companions have been brought here from three different dimentions, or universes. In each of these universes, there is an Earth, and a Neverland. The universes are seperate, with only a few doors leading from one to another."

"We have tapped into the doors of three of the Neverlands, to bring three differnt eternal youths and their companions here, to help with a very big problem that only the three of you together can solve. Well, the three of you, plus one other, but you'll meet _her_ in few minutes."

"As for who the other two are: The one in brown shares the same name as you, while his fairy friend shares the same name as your own pixie."

"You mean..." the boy in green's eyes openned wide. "_His_ name is 'Peter Pan', too? And his fairy is another 'Tinker Bell'?"

"Yes," Captain Hawkins answered. "But as I said, he's from another universe. As for the other one and his cat: His name is Kuro, and the panther's name is Ebony." The two Peters and Tinks looked over to the third set. He smiled back and nodded, absentmindedly stroking the gleaming black fur of the panther.

"What is it that you need us for?" the Peter in green asked.

"In the mountains not far from here is a castle. Within that castle is a computer with an evil Artificial Intelliance --or 'AI'-- that runs everything in the surrounding area for a hundred miles radius. Your job is to get a special agent inside that castle so that she can shut it down and erase the AI."

"Don't you have soldiers for something like that?" Kuro asked. "Why call on three children?"

"Mostly because each of you has special talents that no soldier on Earth has. You, Kuro, have the ability to control animals. That will be useful when traveling through the woods and the mountains, as well as on the castle grounds and inside the castle. Guard animals, not necessarily dogs, are everywhere in that place. As for the two of you," he faced the two Peters, "You can fly, mimic voices and sounds so perfectly that not even computers could tell the difference. You also know much about magic, _especially_ fairy magic. There are reports that the AI has incorporated a captive fairy as part of its cyberstructure. For what purpose, no one knows. But one thing is certain: If the fairy is not rescued soon, she --or he-- will lose their life, with their mind and magic imprisoned within the system forever."

"Okay," the Peter in brown said, "you've got me interested. But who is this fourth person we are suppose to help?"

"Her name is Cybera," Captain Hawkins began. A panel in a wall openned, and out stepped a teenaged girl. She had rose-colored hair, and matching rose eyes. Her hair was cut short, like boys' hair. She wore a red bodysuit covered in glowing yellow lines, creating a maze of light. The bodysuit covered her from neck to feet. At a belt around her waist was a gun, simular to what the soldiers wore. Her equipment also included large, rose-colored glasses, and a large, thin rectangle that the boys later learned was called a "laptop computer". Floating beside her was a golden ball with electronic eyes.

"The ball is called 'Solar', a word associated with 'sun'. It is a helper, in the same respect as your fairy companions. Cybera is a computer programer, and the one person that can bring the AI down and save that fairy."

"Before we start," Cybera said, "we need a way to tell the difference between the two Peters and the two Tinkerbells. I can't need the one in green, and have the one in brown answer."

"That's true," Captain Hawkins agreed. "The Peter in green can be designated 'Peter-D' for his dimention, while his fairy is 'Tink-D'. The Peter in brown can be called, 'Peter-F' for the same reason, as can his Tinkerbell, 'Tink-F'."

"Fine with me," Peter-F said.

"And with me," Peter-D replied.

"Good. Then let's get started." Captain Hawkins nodded to Lieutenant Morgan, who touched a panel on a huge, round table in the middle of the room. The table surface lit up, then projected a three-dimentional image of the woods, the mountain, and the castle. Peter-F, curious, reached out to try and touch the tiny image of the castle, only to have his hand pass _through_ the image.

"A hologram," Cybera smiled as his surprised reaction. "A realistic, three dimentional image created by lasers." All three boys nodded, even though they had absolutely _no_ idea of what she meant.

"The moment you enter the woods, the AI will be aware of your presense. There will only be a few troops, made up of three to five men. I'm sure you can deal with that. It won't be any more difficult than dealing with the pirates you are used to fighting."

The boys smiled at one another, the glow from the table the only illumination in the room they could see each other by.

"The mountains will be a bit more challenging. The weather conditions there would make flying impossible, so you'll have to travel in a more normal fashion. You may be able to find caves in the mountains, with pathways that will lead you to the castle. But even if you do, it won't be easy. Just as with the woods, these caverns may also be patroled. Plus, the temperatures can get down to below freezing. You will be provided with supplies, of course, including a tent and appropreate clothing for the colder climate."

The boys nodded, unfazed by the difficulty of their mission. The two Peters were concerned about the captive fairy, while Kuro's thoughts were hidden behind his leaf-green eyes.

"The _real_ challenge, however," Captain Hawkins continued, "is the castle. It is heavily guarded with not only soldiers, but guard animals, lasers, and traps of all kinds. Kuro will give you an edge, for even trained animals will obey him," Kuro smiled in the aknowledgement of his abilities.

"And you need _children_ to do this?" Tink-F said. Tink-D tinkled her agreement. They were not so sure this was a good idea.

"Normally, we wouldn't," Captain Hawkins answered. "But, we all know that these three are not 'mere' children. If they were, we would never have called on them to help with this. But each of you have abilities that the others don't. For example: Peter-D can read and write, unlike Peter-F and Kuro."

"_You_ can read? And write?" Peter-F asked the other in surprise.

"Sure. You mean, you can't?" the red-haired Peter asked.

"No," Peter-F frowned.

"We already know what Kuro can do. As for our _other_ Peter..." The brown-haired Peter looked up hopefully at the captain. For once, he was feeling very inadequate when compared with the other three members of this little group he found himself in.

"We're very close in abilities," Peter-D told him. "Too close to measure them in any way. But I'm willing to bet that _you_ know more about fairy magic than I do. _Your_ Neverland has more to it than mine. Somehow, I can _feel_ that. In the end, _you_ may be the one that can rescue that fairy."

Peter-F smiled at the taller boy. Even if what the red-haired boy said was not true, it made the smaller Peter feel better. Maybe he was not going to be so useless on this team after all!

"That's quite possible," Captain Hawkins smiled.

"Can you type?" Cybera asked Peter-D.

"I don't know," he answered. "I've never tried."

"Why don't we find out. I'm sure we can spare an extra laptop for him to practice on. It'll be a long mission, and we'll be stopping frequently. And we may need someone to do the typing on the outside, should I have to go further than we intend to."

"Yes," the captain nodded. "That may be necessary. I hope not, but with what all that's involved --and at stake-- we may have no choice. Very well. Make sure he is equipted with one of our spare laptop computers, same model as Cybera's. You'll have extra time before the mission to get aquainted and to rest. Tomorrow morning, you will be assigned equipment and given any last-minute instructions for your mission. If there are no questions," he paused. The group shook their heads. "Good. Until tomorrow morning, you are dismissed." Both Captain Hawkins and Lieutenant Morgan gave them salutes, which the boys returned.

"Come on, guys," Cybera said, "let's get something to eat. And whatever you do, _don't_ order the meat loaf. We have absolutely _no_ idea what's in it." The four of them, followed by their companions, left the war room, on their way to the cafeteria.

"Three boys, a girl, two fairies, a panther, and a CompoJit," Morgan mused. "Have we done the right thing, Captain?"

"There is no one else, Lieutenant," Hawkins answered. "Too many of our agents have lost their lives attempting to break into that castle. Maybe those boys --with their connection to magic-- will be able to do what others could not. They --and Cybera-- may be our only hope."

*~*~*

After a meal of pizza and milk, the four retreated to the boys' sleeping quarters, a small room with bunk beds for the boys, and a pallet for Ebony. The Tinks would use the pillow on the extra bed to sleep on. At the moment, the four of them were sitting at a table. Cybera was showing Peter-D how to work the laptop. He caught on quickly --simply needing to understand the new arrangement of the letters.

"If it comes to this, and I _have_ to go in," she said, "then Solar can help you with the computer terms. Just listen to it, and you'll input the right data."

"'Have to go in'?" Peter-D questioned. "Aren't you coming into the castle with us?"

"Of course I am," she answered. "But I may have to download my mind into the computer --literally 'go inside' the computer to battle the AI, save the fairy, and shut down the AI for good. If I do, I'll need someone to work the keyboards. And since _you're_ the only one that can read --and now, type-- that'll be your job. If it comes to that, that is."

"Okay," Peter-D agreed. He looked over at Kuro. "Captain Hawkins said that he got you from another Neverland. Does that mean that you'll never grow up, too? That you'll remain a boy, like me, and like Peter-F, here?"

"Yes," Kuro answered.

"But," Peter-F asked, "why isn't _your_ name 'Peter', like ours?"

"Maybe it is," the jungle boy answered with a smile. "Maybe my name was also, 'Peter Pan'. But I was raised by panthers, not fairies. A local tribe gave me the name, 'Kuro', for my black hair, and for my family of black panthers. Ebony, there," he nodded toward the panther laying on her pallet, chewing on a bone, "is my 'sister'. That is, I was raised with her and the rest of her siblings. Later, I found a tribe of people that sorta adopted me. These," he showed them the tattoos, "are tribal markings making me the adoptive son of the chief of the tribe. He's hoping to marry his daughter off to me. I don't know, though. Marriage usually means growing up, because there are so many responsibilities connected with it. And I would be leader of the tribe. That carries responsibilities too. I don't know if I want to do that."

Next, the two Peters traded stories about their adventures. Peter-D could not help be a little jealous of Peter-F when he heard about the brown-haired boy's Captain Hook.

"At least _your_ Hook has a _little_ good in him. _My_ Hook is rotten to the core!"

"Yeah," Peter-F answered. "And my Hook seems braver than yours. The only thing in Neverland that _my_ Hook fears is the Croc."

"The Crocodile? You still have yours?" Peter-F nodded. "Lucky! Hook killed _our_ Croc. Now, Hook has an octopus after him."

"On the bright side," Peter-F grinned. "Can you imagine the _hugs_ your Hook gets?"

Both Peters laughed at the image of Hook-D's skinny form being squeezed by an eight-armed giant sea creature. Their laughter was infectious, and Kuro, Cybera, and the two Tinks also laughed with them.

"Okay, guys," Cybera said, finally calming down. "We need to get some sleep. We have a big mission ahead of us, and we need our rest." She rose from her seat. "Good night, boys."

"Good night, Cybera," Peter-D said.

"Cybera?" Peter-F said as he climbed into one of the top bunks. "Would you tuck us in?"

"Why not?" she smiled. The girl walked over to the bunk and gently tucked Peter-F in his covers. She gave him a motherly kiss on the forehead. She looked over the other Peter, who had also claimed a top bunk. "Do _you_ want to be tucked in?"

"If you don't mind..." he smiled. She walked over to his bunk and tucked him in as well. She gave _him_ a kiss, as well. She looked over to Kuro.

"I suppose that _you_ want to be tucked in, as well?" He shook his head.

"I'll manage," he replied. He laid on the bunk below Peter-F's, while the Tinks took the one below Peter-D's bunk.

"Okay," she replied. "Good night, boys. See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Cybera," they answered. She left the room, turning off the light as she went, and closed the door. The three eternal youths settled down for a good night's sleep.

* * *

Next: Chapter 2: On the Move. The group begins the journey to the castle, dodging the patrols along the way. Peter-D learns more about computers.

* * *

Don't ask me where I got the idea for this. It just came...


	2. On the Move

Chapter 2: On the Move

Stealthily, the small band of agents crept through the forest, shielded only by the dark of night, and the tall trees. At Cybera's insistence, they wore Camouflage Bracers, a device worn on the wrist that allowed them to blend into their enviroment as to conceal their presense. Only someone _else_wearing a Camouflage Bracer, and tuned to the correct frequency, could see another who was hidden in such a way.

"_Must_ we wear these, Cybera?" Peter-F complained in a whisper. "It's making my arm itch!" Both Peters were hovering in the air, flying through the forest as the others walked the path. Kuro stalked in front, Ebony by his side.

"If you don't want to be seen, then keep it on!" she whispered back. "And keep it down! You never know when they'll zero in on the sound of your voice!"

"Awww..." Peter-D grinned. "There's no way they'll find us! These armbands of yours work like charms!"

Just at that moment, a laser blast came just a few centimeters from hitting his head. Peter-D ducked down and went very quiet. Cybera gave him a "You were saying?" look, then quickly lead them down a path where they could hide until the patrol passed by them.

When the men left the area, the girl turned her attention to the boys and glared at them.

"_I'm_ in charge of this mission, so you have to do what _I_ say! Especially if you want to stay alive! Understand?"

I little shaken from his encounter with the laser beam, Peter-D nodded his head. Tink-D came out from under his hat where she had been hiding and began to scold him. Cybera quickly shushed _her_ as well.

"We need to set up camp," Tink-F told them, coming out from her hiding place under Peter-F's cape. "It will be sunrise, soon."

"She's right," Cybera said. From out of her backpack, the cybergirl produced a flat box and put it on the ground. Pressing a button on her armband caused the box to open and the tent to expand with just enough room for the group to squeeze in and bed down for the day. One-by-one, they entered the tent and settled down for a quick meal and some rest.

On the outside, the tent looked like a huge rock, having the same concealing circitry as the Camouflage Bracer. Inside, the tent was roomy enough for the boys and Cybera to get comfortable, with just a little room to spare.

"We should hit the mountains by tomorrow morning," Cybera said. She was consulting a holographic map projected by Solar the CompoJit. "There's an openning in the base about here," she pointed to a spot on the map as she spoke, "and if the map is correct, there _should_ be a path leading through the mountain directly to the castle. With any luck, we should reach our goal by the next night. Then, it gets hard."

"'Hard'?" Tink-F repeated. "Sausepans and skillets! As if avoiding groups of men with magic energy guns and leading packs of huge dogs isn't 'hard' enough...!" Tink-D jingled her agreement.

"The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go home," Kuro said, laying down on his sleeping bag. He did not bother getting into it. Ebony walked over to him and laid down next to her "brother". Kuro absentmindedly stroked the panther's sleek, black fur.

"Homesick, Kuro?" Cybera asked.

"I can't help but wonder if those I've left behind are safe," he replied.

"Do you have any enemies in _your_ Neverland?" Peter-F asked.

"The same kind you two have --pirates. But they aren't as organized as those you know. You see, they don't have their ship anymore; it's beached on a small island near the main island of Neverland. They live in it, but it can't sail. If they need to go anywhere, they use the smaller dingys. Their pirate flag, they have set up on a pole on the island, for they have claimed that small piece of land as their own. Why not let them have it? It has enough food and water to keep them alive."

"I don't suppose their captain has a hook for one of his hands?" Peter-D asked.

"Well...now that you mention it..." Kuro began, glancing over to his listeners before finishing his answer. "No. He doesn't. He has a trident, instead."

"A trident?" both Peters and Tinks asked in surprise.

"It's basically a three pronged fork with barbed points, like a fishhook, or an anchor," Cybera answered. Kuro nodded.

"Which he also uses to fish with," he smiled at them.

"Did you cut off his hand?" Peter-F asked.

"No. Ebony bit it off when he --Captain Jangles-- tried to attack one of the villiage children. She moves faster than I do, and when I saw the child in danger, I commanded Ebony to attack the pirate, buying me enough time to get the little girl to safety. By the time I carried her into the village, left her with her mother, and returned to Ebony and Jangles, the pirate was already retreating, his right hand in Ebony's mouth. She took it to the water's edge and threw it into the sea."

"Let me guess..." Peter-D smiled, "where it was eatten by a crocodile, who now follows Jangles around, waiting to get the rest of him. But the crocodile has a clock inside him that ticks, and that warns Jangles, and the pirate gets away."

"You got everything right but one thing," Kuro grinned. "It wasn't a crocodile. It was a shark."

"Even scarier," Cybera smiled back.

"What's even stranger," Kuro added, "the shark won't attack anyone else. I've seen it swim around a whole ocean-full of swimmers and head straight for Jangles or his island. Most of the time, it just swims around Jangles' Island, waiting for it's chance to finish off Jangles. We call it, 'Razorteeth'. 'Razor', for short."

"So much like _our_ own Neverlands, and yet, so different, too," Peter-D observed.

"As are the Neverlands of you and Peter-F," Cybera pointed out.

"That's true," Peter-D agreed. "For instance, my Neverland has a huge rock that we call Skull Rock --mainly, because it looks like a giant skull. Hook likes to take prisoners there and leave them on a rock to drown when the tide rises."

"Marooners Rock," Peter-F commented. "For us, it's just a rock with a stake in the center. But it's used for the same purpose as your Skull Rock."

"What about Ice Caves?" Peter-D asked.

"We got those, too. The Ice King is a grumpy, old giant, whose subjects are Ice Elves and his son, Iceheart. Who happens to be an ice copy of me."

"The ruler of _our_ Ice Caves is a Queen," Peter-D replied. "Her name is Crystal, and she's very nice. We're good friends. Unlike your Ice King, Queen Crystal has no one but her son, Icestar. Just as Iceheart is a copy of _you_, Icestar is a copy of _me_."

"Even _more_ 'Eternal Youths'!" Cybera laughed.

"And I've got one more double!" Peter-F grinned. "His name is Retep, and he lives in a place called Dnalreven. He's an _Egyptian_ me."

"Well, let's get to sleep, everyone," Cybera said. "We've got to go through an ice mountain tonight, and we need to be as rested as we can possibly get." With that, the cybergirl settled down into her sleeping bag and went to sleep. The boys, the fairies, and Ebony also fell asleep, waiting for the night, when they would continue their quest.

*~*~*

"Look out!" Cybera cried. The cybergirl fired at the patrol of men they ran into as they trekked through the ice caves. At her warning, the team scattered, and the battle began. While Cybera engaged one man in a laser fight, the boys squared off against the others.

"Just come along quietly, kid," one man said to Peter-D, "and you won't get hurt!"

"Oh, I won't get hurt!" the red-haired boy answered with a grin. He unsheathed his dagger and swung so that it cut the barrel of the man's laser rifle. So disarmed, the man dropped what was left of his weapon and drew his knife. Instantly, they "crossed swords", and began fighting.

Meanwhile, a simular scene was playing out between another one of the men and Peter-F. The brown-haired child floated in the air as he engaged his enemy in a duel of his own.

"Stay _still_, brat!" the man snarled as Peter-F blocked a swing aimed for his head.

"Make me!" the boy laughed.

Kuro snarled at his opponent, his own knife in his hand. But this man had four large dogs --German Shepherds-- in his control. Dogs that Kuro could use _against_ his foe. The ebony-haired boy's snarl of animal rage turned into one of triumph as he locked eyes with the dogs.

The first effect was that the animals stopped snarling at Kuro, standing as still as statues.

"Well?" the man said to the dogs. "What are ya waitn' for? Take him down!"

The dogs just stood in place, locked into place by Kuro's gaze. Then, as a group, the dogs turned toward their former master and growled.

"What are you doin'?" the man shouted in alarm. "Attack _him_, not _me_!"

"They are no longer yours to command," Kuro said evenly, even a bit coldly. "They are _my_ friends, now." With a gesture, he had one dog disarm the man. When the soldier was helpless, he had the dogs surround him, keeping him from running off.

Meanwhile, Cybera, Peter-D, and Peter-F hand managed to knock their opponents unconscious. The three men laid on the icy floor of the cave, alive, but unmoving.

"Too bad we had to knock these guys out," Cybera commented. "We could have used some info on the layout of the security on that castle."

"Not _all_ of them," they heard Kuro behind them. They three turned around to see the boy and his panther facing the last of their assailiants. The man was surrounded by his four dogs, which kept him from escaping.

"Great work, Kuro!" Cybera smiled. She and the boys approuched the jungle boy and his prisoner. She turned and addressed the man.

"We need some information," she said. "About the security around and in that castle. Cooporate, and we'll let you go. Refuse, and I'll let Kuro have you. And you don't want to _know_ what _he'll_ do to you." She turned to Kuro and gave him a smile and a wink. The boy caught her meaning, and winked back. The snarling smile still on his face, Kuro came to stand with Cybera. Peter-D and Peter-F, their Tinkerbells fluttering to their shoulders, also moved into view, their daggers drawn and ready.

Taking in the cumulative threats to his continued existance into concideration, the man did the only thing he could do, under the circumstances.

He talked.

"The outer wall is lined with watchtowers every forty feet, as well as at the corners, and the guards in them are armed with the state-of-the-art laser rifles. The grounds are patroled by no less than six groups of seven guard dogs and six groups of seven guys. They've got the laser rifles two, as well as laser sidearms. There are motion sensors around both the outer wall and the castle, and they are hooked up to lasers. The inside of the castle also has patrols, motion sensors, and lasers. The floors in the inner chamber where the AI computer is are criss-crossed with a laser beam grid, and if you get that far, you'll have the one other before you get to the AI to deal with."

"'One other'?" Cybera asked. "Who?"

"I don't know," the man said. Kuro growled and stepped closer to the prisoner. "I don't know!" he inisted, panicking now. "_Nobody_ knows who it is! Noone's ever seen them. We don't even know if its a male or a female. All we know is that the person is protectin' the computer as a last line of defence."

"And that's all you can tell us?" Cybera questioned.

"That's all! I _swear_ it!"

"That better be all," she replied. She placed a ring from a pouch on her belt on her finger and tapped the man on the shoulder. He stiffened, then closed his eyes and feel to the floor.

"What happened to him?" Tink-F asked. She fluttered over to examine the fallen man.

"Don't worry," Cybera said. "He'll be okay. The ring just contains a sedative, to make him sleep. We can't very well allow these men to follow us."

"True," Kuro admited. "And to make sure..." Once again, the black-haired boy make eye contact with the dogs, giving them silent commands. The dogs nodded, as if acknowledging the boy's orders, and each positioned themselves so that they could keep the men at bay when they woke up.

"On to the castle, then," Cybera smiled. "By this time tomorrow, we'll be inside the castle, taking on whatever it can throw at us." The little group of rescuers continued on toward their objective.

* * *

Next: Chapter 3: Vira. Our heros are finally inside the castle and are ready to face the AI's "bodyguard", whoever it may be. But is Cybera ready for their mysterious foe?


End file.
